


Better now

by S_Horne



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Feelings, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of cuddles and love and sadness, M/M, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Superfamily (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:20:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21720850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Horne/pseuds/S_Horne
Summary: “I didn’t mean it.” Peter didn’t even realise he’d spoken until the light hum of conversation above him stopped and he felt Steve’s gaze turn to him as well as Tony's still on his face.The worst. That’s what Peter had said. Those were the last ever words that Peter had said to his own father. Worst. The worst father ever. He had actually let those words pass his lips and his dad might never have heard him take them back.And yeah, okay, it wasn’t like he’d actually meant it, but he’d still said it. His dad had still heard those words and thought he’d meant it.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 20
Kudos: 501





	Better now

**Author's Note:**

> "You're the worst parent ever" - superfamily prompt from Tumblr.

“You look like shit.”

Peter’s mouth fell open at the insult, but he couldn’t find his voice to express his indignation.

“Christ, Steve,” Tony continued, “did he sleep at all?”

Though Tony was addressing Steve, his gaze didn’t wander from Peter’s face for a second. His eyes flickered over Peter’s body, taking everything in. It was hard for Peter to care about the attention when he was doing the exact same thing, cataloguing every bruise and every extra wrinkle.

Steve was saying something back, but Peter only managed to catch a few words here and there, brain too focused elsewhere and lack of sleep affecting him.

“–wanted to be here.”

“He’s a kid, Steve. Come on, babe, he had homework–”

There was a deep laceration underneath Tony’s left eye, deep and ugly and something that would no doubt scar. Peter couldn’t look away from it.

“–not like I kept him here–”

Peter could hardly see an inch of his dad’s skin that wasn’t covered with either a bandage or a dark mark of some description, be it red or blue or a mottled sort of green. He reached out without much thought and took his dad’s hand in his, holding it gently and trying not to cause any more pain. Without pausing his argument with Steve, Tony gripped Peter’s fingers and stroked his thumb over the back of Peter’s hand.

“I don’t want him here.”

Even when hoarse and broken, Peter loved Tony’s voice. He hadn’t realised just how much until he’d only been able to hear it through old recordings and videos with Tony behind the camera.

“Tony, come on. We had to – he had to be here. Sweethe–”

“He’s a _kid_!”

At one time, Peter would have resented that, would have gotten mad and indignant about his dad calling him a kid. It was hard to care about being called a child when all Peter wanted to do was crawl into bed with his dad and bury his head into Tony’s chest.

“I couldn’t not let him be here,” Steve said, voice low but firm. It was soft in the way that it always was when Steve addressed Tony, a way that never failed to make Peter warm inside. Now, though, he was cold all over. “ _You_ try telling him that–”

“Which one of you is the adult here?”

When Peter had spent days trying to tell himself that he was never going to hear his dad’s voice again, even hearing it angry and hissed was wonderful. It surrounded him like a wave, occasional words breaking through the haze but none of them registering too deeply.

“I didn’t mean it.” Peter didn’t even realise he’d spoken until the light hum of conversation above him stopped and he felt Steve’s gaze turn to him as well as Tony's still on his face.

The worst. That’s what he’d said. Those were the last ever words that Peter had said to his own father. _Worst._ The worst father ever. He had actually let those words pass his lips and his dad might never have heard him take them back.

And yeah, okay, it wasn’t like he’d actually meant it, but he’d still said it. His dad had still heard those words and thought he’d meant it.

Peter couldn't even remember why he'd said it, anymore. They must have been arguing. Now that he was older, Peter and Tony had gotten quite good at arguing, at disagreeing with nearly everything the other did. Steve tried to act as a middle man between them, but even he struggled to keep the peace sometimes. It wasn't unusual for Peter to yell in anger, though it was uncommon for him to speak without thinking. And he must have done when he let those words pass his lips. 

The worst parent ever. That's what he'd said. Peter had actually screamed at Tony that he was the worst parent _ever._ All in an argument that Peter couldn't remember. It can't have been important, can't have been real. It would have been childish anger, a spur of the moment insult in a stupid, meaningless fight. 

And then Tony had gotten hurt. Badly hurt, at that.

“What?”

Peter swallowed, lifting his eyes to meet his dad’s. Even bruised and cut, Tony’s face was as open and as soft as it had been when Peter used to seek him out after nightmares.

“What I said.” Peter felt like a child again, like a terrified kid who was convinced that there was a monster under his bed. Only now, the monster was real and it had put his dad in hospital. “I didn’t mean it, dad. I swear.”

“Oh, baby.” The name didn’t bother Peter like it usually did, even made his eyes prick with tears and his throat burn. “Has that been bothering you?”

Tony winced as he tried to sit up, Steve surging forward to help him. Smacking Steve’s hand away lightly, Tony kept his eyes on his son.

Peter swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I didn’t.”

He felt like a broken record. He’d been telling himself the same thing since it had happened. Saying it in the mirror, telling the tiles in the shower before he went to bed, even whispering it into the darkness of a silent hospital room.

It had all fallen on deaf ears, though. Even when Steve’s hand had cupped his neck or Steve had kissed the crown of his head and said that of course he hadn’t meant. None of it had mattered and none of it would ever matter until Tony had woken up and Peter could say it to the only person that _ever_ mattered.

“Pete, kid,” Tony said, finally settling into Steve’s stubborn hand on his back and beckoning Peter up onto the bed. “I _know_. I can’t even remember what you said.”

“I said that you were–”

“Okay, yes, I remember. Christ. Don’t say it again.” Tony grabbed Peter’s wrist and tugged with as much strength as he had – which wasn’t much. “Obviously I’m the most amazing dad in the world.”

“You are.” Peter’s voice was choked and he barely registered moving up onto the bed until Tony’s arm was suddenly around him and Peter’s head was on Tony’s hideously cold chest. “You are, dad, I swear.”

“Hey, kid,” Tony smoothed a hand over Peter’s head, brushing his hair from his face. “Shush, baby. It’s okay; calm down.”

It was easier said than done and suddenly, without warning and out of nowhere, tears were falling from Peter’s eyes. He never wanted to be anywhere else, never wanted to not hear his dad’s heartbeat ever again. The cold ring of his dad’s wedding ring against his upper arm grounded him more than anything else, the promise of a family never leaving him again.

“Oh, Pete.” There was a kiss dropped to Peter’s hair and another hand curled over his shoulder. “I’m still here, kid. Both of us. Me and Steve, okay? Still here. Always here.”

The hand squeezed tighter and something settled inside of Peter.

“I love you.” Peter couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually said that out loud. Not to his dad or to Steve, for that matter. He didn’t know if he’d ever said it to Steve; at least not since he was a child. Now, though, it was burning his tongue. He needed to say it, needed to tell his dad that he loved him. “Love you. Both of you. I – Dad, I just, I do, please, _Steve_ –”

“Shush, Peter.” Tony rubbed his thumb along Peter’s hairline, Steve’s fingers tapping his shoulder. “It’s okay. I know. I know, kid, of course I know. Everything’s okay now.”

Peter closed his eyes and pressed closer to Tony. It wasn’t okay. Things weren’t magically okay, but with Tony’s arm circling on his back, his chest moving underneath Peter’s cheek with each deep breath, and Steve’s hand warm on his shoulder, it was at least finally easy to breathe.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://s-horne.tumblr.com/)


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